Au Pair Are More Affordable Than Daycare & Nannies

The concept of au pairs as an affordable childcare choice is increasing because of the depressed economy!

Numbers don't lie - most agencies are experiencing a recent uptick from families who are interested in making the switch to au pairs from both daycare facilities and private nannies.

Why? Affordability! Costs seem to be driving the recent trend. Au pairs are, overall, more affordable compared to daycare and nannnies. Daycare fees have risen to keep pace with inflation and the costs of running a business - salary increases, high rents, heating, etc., keep daycare costs high. With an au pair, there is no "overhead" costs and they care for multiple children - daycare centers will charge a family for each child and charge for "overtime" if you are running late from work, etc.

Private nannnies are expensive, let's face it! Professional nannies are worth the money they command, but most working families cannot afford them. Working and middle class families, who can no longer pay for good daycare because of rising costs, cannot hire a nanny at $500 - $700 a week. Nannies can be live-in, but most are not and they will also charge you for staying late, and they base their weekly salary on the number of children you have.

Au Pair in America conducted a survey that showed prior to joining Au Pair in America, "37 percent of host families had used a nanny and 25 percent had used daycare. These numbers support a trend that families are turning to the most cost effective child care option: au pairs."

In addition to Affordability, Safety is a major concern for parents.

William Gertz, CEO and President of the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) said "The average cost of the au pair program is $309 per week whether you have one or four children. Families tell us that this form of childcare - a fixed weekly cost - is better than childcare facilities, which often have a spotty record."

We agree with Mr. Gertz and we have reported here before on the state of daycare in America. In researching both daycare and au pair care online, we find 10-20 disturbing stories of abuse, neglect and deaths that occur daily in these facilities, yet we find no similar stories concerning au pairs.

These daycare statistics combined with au pair care's affordability is good news for the au pair agencies which have seen an increase is interest from new host parents:

Cultural Care, the largest of the American au pair agencies, experienced an increase of over 49% in traffic last month and Au Pair Care is seeing a dramatic upswing in vistors, with over 245% increase in visitors! (Demember, 2010, http://siteanalytics.compete.com/culturalcare.com+aupaircare.com/).

In addition to saving dollars allocated for childcare, families enjoy the icing on the cake: cultural exchange introduces new and wordly experience and knowledge into their lives.

“Having an au pair gives our three children the most consistent care at the best price,” said Suzy Cooke, a host mother from Washington, D.C. Cooke and her family have been with Au Pair in America since 2005, and their current au pair, Katherine, is from Germany.

“We have all benefited from the cultural exchange in ways we didn't originally anticipate. Experiencing how people from other countries interact with us and our friends and relatives, makes us more welcoming, sharing, patient, tolerant and loving as a family. Having au pairs care for our children has been a great experience for all of us.”

Read more about au pairs here:

Are Au Pairs a Safe Childcare Choice?

Getting Started with Au Pairs

To read more about au pair costs, visit our Au Pair Agency Discounts page!

By Bella Gioia, Research & Evaluation Director

In July 2009, host parents rated their Top Three Au Pair Agenices. Host parents from across the nation completed a Customer Satisfaction Survey. Below is a brief summary of the Overall Customer Service ratings for each of the following agencies:

Au Pair Care (http://www.aupaircare.com/)

The majority (70%) of Au Pair Care host parents rate their Customer Service as Excellent.

Written comments are very favorable and reflect strong customer support.

Examples: "My questions are answered in a timely and professional manner. I feel like AuPairCare supports the host family and the au pair," "Amazing service! My area director really cares about the success of our family," "We investigated all 3 in December and found a big difference between Au Pair Care's customer service and the other 2 - and I'm not exaggerating!"

Expert Au Pair (http://www.expertaupair.com)

ExpertAuPair jumped to Number Two despite it small size and main service area in Florida. They continue to provide excellent customer service with the lowest program fees and costs in the country and they have the best medical insurance for au pairs. They are increasing their service areas throughout the country as they continue to improve their website. A big jump for a little company!

Au Pair in America (http://www.aupairinamerica.com/)

Although 46% of Au Pair in America host families rate their Customer Service as Excellent, 27% of families rate the service they received as Poor. Written comments are sparse but favorable. Examples: "very responsive via email," "Our counselor is outstanding and the office in Stamford has always be very responsive," "...a little extra money, but well worth it. My family could not be happier."

Cultural Care (http://www.culturalcare.com/)

Cultural Care has the highest percentage of negative ratings ("Fair - Poor"). They also have the most negative written comments.

The comments reflect host parents' frustrations with the following areas:

1. Poorly Screened Au Pairs: (ex., "They allow by policy, au pairs to use family and friends as references. They rated our au pair as a 7 out of 7 {the best} for written and spoken English but she was unable to understand anything except hand signals")

2. Poor Customer Service Once a Match was Completed: (ex., "Cultural Care is Very aggressive 'selling' an au pair to you, but after you pay the ENTIRE fee up front, their customer support disappears. When you need help or have fairly serious problems with your au pair, the LCC and Home offices of Cultural care are extremely slow to respond. VERY Poor customer service")

3. Difficulty Getting Refunds: (ex., "After having a poor experience with my au pair, the hassle it took to get my refund has made me swear I will never host a cultural care au pair again")

Since the above survey results were posted, we have been collecting host parent ratings for 2010. Our latest survey includes all 12 au pair agencies in the U.S.A. If you have not yet rated your agency, please consider doing that now - it is a very short survey and will take 1-2 minutes!

Please take our newest survey! Your feedback is very important to us and to all parents who are considering the au pair program:

Click here to take survey

Thank you very much for your input!

Getting Started With Au Pairs - An Educated Parent Makes the Best Childcare Consumer

Working parents are responsible for choosing the best childcare for their children. Today, with 2 paycheck families, we cannot get by with the help of family and friends - parents need reliable, cost-effective and convenient childcare. Most of us today need full-time childcare.

As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your child is safe and happy in a childcare environment that is both safe and nurturing.

Not all childcare options are the same - there are safety issues, regulations to consider and, of course, cost. When you compare the 3 most popular childcare choices, au pair care is the most affordable option.

However, not all au pair agencies are the same. We make your search for the best au pair agency easy - let us do the work for you! Do your homework before you sign on the dotted line!

Three Most Popular Childcare Choices Available Today:

Day Care Centers

Pros: USA Today reported (2010) that over 19% of children are enrolled in center-based childcare centers. Fees are calculated per child and most daycare centers are usually reasonable for the average family's budget, but only if you do not have more than 2 children. Parents like the idea that their child will be supervised and cared for by multiple caregivers and the hours of operation cover the traditional, 8-9 hour work schedule.

Cons: Screening of daycare workers varies greatly from one state to another. Most daycare centers are not required to administer a psychometric test that has to be implemented in all legal au pair agencies. Psychometric tests can flag poor judgment, propensity for drug and alcohol addictions, immaturity and more.

Costs may be high depending on your area and if you have multiple children (daycare charges per child), daycare can be very expensive! The average cost is about $200 per week, per child or $800 a month. You have to deliver and pick up your children and if you are late at pick-up, you may be charged extra.

For parents who do work over the traditional 8 hour a day job, daycare can be very expensive and inconvenient. In addition, if you child is sick, you cannot drop them off and then you stay home with your child. If you need coverage on weekends, you will spend extra $$$ for a babysitter.

Costs for Daycare: Daycare charges per child. The average cost can run from $675 - $800 per month, per child.

Nannies

Pros: The great thing about a nanny is the "in-home" care they provide. Most parents like the idea their child is at home and they don't have to drive to daycare twice a day. In addition, with a nanny at home, if the child is sick, no problem!

Parents also enjoy the flexibility a nanny brings to their family - not only will a nanny care for your child, they can cook, clean and do the child's laundry! A real bonus for busy parents! Nannies tend to be older, more mature and have more experience caring for children compared to many daycare workers and au pairs.

Cons: Unless you hire an nanny through a reputable agency, their experience can vary greatly - and they may not be licensed as a "professional" nanny. Today, in our hard economic times, parents are more willing to hire anyone with some experience who call themselves "nannies." If you do hire through an accredited and licensed daycare center, you will pay top dollar! Nannies also charge per child. The high cost of nannies continue to be prohibitive to most working families.

Many nannies today do not live-in. If you nanny does not live in, you also lose the flexibility of coverage at the end of the work day and on weekends. In addition, most nannies will charge you more if they work "overtime." In addition, most nannies will not work more than 9 hours a day.

Costs for a Nanny: Average costs can range between $300 - $700 a week or $1200 - $2800 a month.

Au Pairs

Pros: Au pairs provide up to 45 hours of childcare a week, and up to 10 hours a day. Having a live-in caregiver, who provides individualized care for their children, is a great feature for working parents! Au pairs are available nights, weekends and are energetic and loving caregivers who get to know your children and you entire family while providing a cultural experience for all to enjoy.

In addition, you pay the same amount no matter how many children you have! Your children have the advantage of experiencing another culture and possibly learning another language. Many upscale American parents hire Chinese au pairs in order to introduce Mandarin to their young children. USA Today's statistics show more than 23,000 American children are learning Chinese (2010).

Au pairs are young, eager and are willing to do things with your child that an older nanny might frown upon and daycare cannot provide: day trips to museums and library events, zoos, hiking, parks and daily walks in the neighborhood.

Cons: Looking for the right agency can be confusing - all their websites and literature pretty much say the same thing. Only recently can parents read reviews and ratings of the 12 legal agencies that operate in this country. Parents also need to make sure they understand the cultural exchange program and the needs of the au pair. She wants to attend college and make friends and do some traveling in her year abroad. She is often young and inexperienced - you as the parent are ultimately responsible for assessing her driving abilities, language skills and childcare experience!

Are you ready for a young person to join your home as an "equal" or as an family member? Are you ready to supervise an 18, 19 or 20 year-old? There are hard questions you must ask yourself before you hire an au pair.

Costs for an Au Pair: Au pair agencies charge program fees, in addition to the yearly stipend you pay the au pair (total: $10, 179.00). Agency fees start at $5,600 and cap at $9000. You have to do your homework online to compare the best prices.

On average, an au pair will cost between $300 - $370 a week. An au pair starts at $300 per week, and that is based on one family, not per child.

Do Your Homework Before You Choose Childcare

What ever kind of childcare you choose, you are ultimately responsible for checking references, childcare experience and interviewing each daycare center, au pair or nanny before you sign on the dotted line. Doing your homework, gathering as much information as you can on each option is easier than ever today with the Internet.

What can be difficult is parents have too many choices! So many daycare centers, nannies and au pair agencies! It is easy to become overwhelmed with so many choices - take the time to do your research and then imagine each option. What feels right? What makes the most sense, financially for your family? What best fits your schedule?

If you do choose to join the cultural exchange program and welcome an au pair into your home, make sure you carefully compare and examine each of the 12 au pair agencies and their different fees; unique features and specialized programs! No two au pair agencies are alike!

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Would you like to know which agency is rated the BEST by host parents? Do you want to know what the experts say about interviewing an au pair? Choosing an au pair agency? If yes, read this before you host an au pair!

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Hosting Au Pairs - Are You Ready?

Hosting au pairs is not an easy task by no means. Finding a great agency, interviewing childcare givers over the phone (blind if you don't use Skype) and opening your home to a stranger for a year to care for your child is a huge leap of faith.

Thousands of American families take that leap of faith each year when they welcome a new au pair into their families. Why? Because the au pair program is affordable and it works very well (when all the pieces fall in place, like a puzzle).

Why do some parents get it right while others do not? Parents make bad choices every year and the family and au pair go into "rematch" - the word that strikes fear and consternation in every counselor's heart when she/he hears it!

Families that make good decisions and stay in the program for years are doing something right and one main factor is they make Educated Choices each and every time. Yes, sometimes things fall short and they have a rematch, that is life and we all are thrown curve balls once in a while, and we deal with it and move on.

Successful host families are alike and make decisions in a similar way.

They go about the process in a systematic manner that increases the likelihood of success - we measure success in the cultural program by good, solid matches with great au pairs that stay for their 12 months (and sometimes they extend for another 12 months).

Who are these successful host families?

When you look at the demographics of who uses au pair agencies (who typically picks the agency, interviews au pairs, matches and supervises the au pair in the home) you see there is a majority group with these common characteristics:

• Professional Women
• Full-Time Careers
• College Educated (at least 4 years or more)
• Between the ages of 30-52
• Who have Two or More Children

What makes these women Unique as a Group?

They are professional women, with at least 4 years of college - they are highly educated as a group. Educated people usually make good, sound choices because they are typically logical, systematic and well-rounded. They know a lot about many things. They may be quite familiar with traveling abroad, speak another language and have taken several history courses and world civilization classes.

Armed with a college degree, travel and exposure to a broader world view, when this group begins their search for an au pair, they approach it the same way they do with everything in their life - research and education. Find out as much as one can about a subject, compare and contrast different agencies, look at costs and focus on quality.

They Experiment! They do their Research! They make choices based on fact, not on marketing ads.

Well-educated parents who start out looking for an au pair will call several agencies at one time - they may sign up and start receiving applications from 2 or 3 different agencies. They are trying out the system and sampling the "goods" of an industry and they will make decisions based on how and what the different programs deliver.

Let me share one experience a host mom had and shared with us when she took our 2010 Host Family Satisfaction Survey:

"I was new to the au pair program and I applied to 2 agencies at the same time (they both waived the application fees). I placed calls and emails to both on the same day. 24 hours later, one agency answered by sending me an form to fill out with a focus on our family needs so they could start sending me au pair applications right away. I completed that, sent it in and started receiving au pair applications the same day! Their counselor then called and made an appointment for a family interview that took place 2 days later. During the interview, the LCC matched us with an au pair from Germany! A week after we matched, the other agency called and we told them we were already matched. We knew they didn't really care one way or another because they didn't apologize for the delay in getting back to us!"

This same agency continues to advertise themselves as the "largest, oldest agency" with "quality service and au pairs."

Educated parents are drawn to quality service and quick response time.

Educated parents know the agency's quick response time tells them positive something about the program, but they also know to check out all features of an agency and not just base their perception of the agency just on a quick "sales call."

Host families that do their homework before they sign up with an agency get the best results when they are finally ready to hire an au pair. It really is true that Educated parents make the best childcare choices - we see and hear about their success everyday at the Clearinghouse.

If you are a new parent thinking about hosting an au pair - do your research first!

Not all au pair agencies are the same. Read our article on Getting Started with Au Pairs first so you get your direction and plant your feet squarely on the success track to finding and hosting a great au pair today!

5 Reasons NOT to Hire An Au Pair

5 Top Reasons NOT to Hire An Au Pair

Not all parents and families are suitable for the au pair program. Hosting an au pair is very different than hiring a local college student to baby-sit or even hiring a nanny. These childcare choices are dictated by the employee-employer relationship. The childcare giver gets "paid" every week and may or may not live-in. You do not have to give the childcare giver a car, a cell phone or a computer to use! You will not be eating dinner with your babysitter and you certainly will not be sharing holidays with your nanny.

Au pairs are young women (or young men) who are between the ages of 18-26 who expect to become part of the family, audit college courses (that you pay for) and drive your car, live with your family and take care of your children like an older sister - compared to a salaried nanny or babysitter.

If you cannot meet the basic requirements outlined below, your family should reconsider hosting an au pair:

1. You Need More than 45 Hours of Childcare a Week: if you work long hours and need more than 8-10 hours a day from your childcare giver, au pairs are not for you! There are two main reasons for this. One, the majority of au pairs are young, in the 18-20 year-old age group. Young people are not able to care for children, especially younger children, for long, extended periods of time. They become tired, irritable and their judgment can deteriorate quickly. They need a well-deserved break after 8 hours! Secondly, the United States government has made working au pairs over 45 hours a week illegal. They understand au pairs are young and not fully mature to care for children for long periods of time – the Dept. of State makes it their business to ensure no overworked au pair compromises a child's safety and well being.

2. You Need Overnight Childcare: Au pairs are not allowed to work over 10 hours in a given 24 hour period – so if they worked during the day, they cannot cover for you during the evening hours. Many parents assume that since everyone will be sleeping, au pairs can be used to supervise the night hours – not so! If you are a pilot with staggered flights or work a night shift, do not hire an au pair.

"My host mom was a stewardess for Jet Blue and stayed overnight in Florida, etc., 3 or 4 times a week. I cared for her twins, age 3 well over the 10-hour limit. Finally, I complained to the agency and they rematched me with another family and this host mom was dropped from the program. Apparently, the host mom didn't tell the agency what her work was because she knew that au pairs could not watch the kids overnight."

Katie, Swedish au pair in Maryland

3. You Don't Have a Suitable Bedroom: Au pairs must have their own bedroom – they can share a bathroom with the kids, but they must have their own space. Their room should contain a bed, dresser, a closet, a chair and a table where she can write or work on a laptop. The space must not contain family articles or storage. The room also must be "suitable" and your counselor will check the room for: exit in case of fire (think basements), a solid door that locks from the inside and at least one window. If you do not have an extra room that has all of these requirements, you should not hire an au pair.

4. You Don't Like Sharing Your Home with a Stranger: If you or your spouse will feel uncomfortable with another person living under the same roof, reconsider hiring an au pair! Au pairs should feel welcome at all times and they should not have to walk on eggs every time you are home. Hire a nanny or use daycare.

"I lived with a family where the host mom hated having me around – I felt it, she didn't have to say anything. I always felt timid around her and also unwelcome. The host dad wasn't much better and I stayed in my room when they were both home. I was not happy there!"

Ana, German au pair in NJ

5. You Don't Have a Car for the Au Pair: Au pairs need to get around! They will have to attend college classes, attend cluster meetings, and go to the malls, movies, etc., with their friends. They want to visit other au pairs they have met and, more importantly, they need to get out of the house and be independent! An au pair who works all day caring for your children should have the option of getting in a car and driving to a place she chooses. Au pairs need to recharge and they have a hard time doing this if the only way to get personal space is to close the door to their bedroom! If you are not willing to share your car, or buy a second hand car just for the au pair, do not hire an au pair!

"I thought I could share my car with the au pair. My counselor told me this probably wouldn't work, but I am a stubborn person. The au pair arrived and it was very inconvenient for me to lend her my car every other day and sometimes every evening! When my husband traveled, I never let her borrow the car, since I did not want to be home with no transportation. Our au pair, who was wonderful, asked for a rematch and left us – all over the car issue! Second time around, we bought a used, banged up car and all of our new au pairs get to use this car anytime they want."

Sara H., Host Mom, Virginia

If you have questions about hosting an au pair, please visit http://www.aupairclearinghouse.com/ and read our advice, top tips, reviews and ratings on all things au pairs.

Interview with Cultural Care LCC, Deborah Schwartz

by Edina Stone October, 2010

Deb lives and works in Marin County, California where she services over 60 au pairs since 2003. She has a BA in Psychology from Wake Forest and a Master's in Market Research from the University of Georgia. Deb is well traveled and has lived in England, Scotland, Australia, Boston and NYC. She was among the top 1% in the country to be inducted into Cultural Care's Golden Heart League, which recognizes the best and brightest of their LCCs.

This is part one is a series of interviews with LCCs and counselors. Deb talks with Edina about Matching and how to find the best au pair 'fit' for your family.

Edina: Deb, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to interview with the Clearinghouse. We are delighted to have such an experienced counselor like you to share with our readers your expert tips and advice on how to match with the best au pair.

Top Three Most Important Au Pair Qualities

Edina: In your expert opinion, what are some of the most important qualities parents should look for in a prospective au pair?

Deb: Ah! Now, this is my favorite topic as I think it’s the most important step in having a great au pair experience. I’ve personally had 16 au pairs (about to welcome 17 into our home – as we had two at a time for the first 5 years) – so I’ve come to realize that the most important thing to look for in an au pair is a positive attitude. Several of our au pairs haven’t had the best childcare experience, but their positive attitude made them a real asset and a joy to have in our home.

An au pair with a negative attitude, someone with a sense of entitlement drags the energy in the whole house down.

Start with an au pair who shows a positive attitude and then look for my Top Three Most Important Au Pair Qualities:

1. Competency – ask yourself, can the au pair do what you need them to do? For example, do they have specific experience with the age group of your children?; if they are going to be in sole charge – can they be independent? If your au pair is going to be a mother’s helper – can she take direction and be with in an adult's company all day?

Skills check: Do they have the skills that you need, e.g. driving, swimming, etc? For instance, if the host family has a large family, I always recommend an au pair that is from a large family, as they are much more comfortable with the chaos and noise that a larger family typically generates.

2. Character – this is a key component in a great match and is often overlooked in the screening process. Ask your prospective au pair, "What did your parents teach you about people?" Are these values in line with your own family values? After all, your au pair will be teaching your children values along the way, even in subtle, non-verbal ways. I glean the “character” information from everything from what their family photos and information, to their essay content, to my all time favorite interview question: "What values did your parents teach you?"

3. Chemistry – this is as important as competency and character, but can get ignored, as it’s more difficult to assess. You can get a feel of whether or not you and the au pair have a good "chemistry" from a phone call, but better yet, with a Skype call. I always say, "If the chemistry is not there, move on to another au pair and do it quickly."

Let me give you a good example of how useful Skype can be: Just a month or two ago, I nearly matched with a second year Swedish au pair for my own family. We spoke on the phone and had a great conversation - I loved her! A few days later we were able to chat on Skype, and oh boy! I could easily see she was not the au pair for us! She was sweet, but too reserved for my older, assertive school aged children who would have run circles around her!

The great thing about Skype is you can get the entire family on and you can quickly see if the children and au pair create that bond, that chemistry that will forge a respectful and lasting relationship.

Edina: Thank you Deb for those great insights and I think you are correct about Skype. This is going to be the best new thing in matching with au pairs - host parents will be able to make better decisions on hiring an au pair when they can see the person who they are communicating with.

Deb, can you share with our readers some of your tips for Matching?

Deb: Sure! Here they are, my best matching tips:

Best Matching Tips:

•Don’t Settle – you’ll know it when you see the right application – it will just feel “right”
•Try Not to Live in your Head - go with your gut. Sometimes when I try to over think the match and get out my checklist again, I get into trouble (reminds me of the previews for an upcoming movie...too many reviews may result in not seeing the film at all!).
•Understand what is Right for your Family - what personality style "fits" your family? Reflect on what kind of personality your family has and match with an au pair who fits that style of doing things. For example, is your family active and sporty? Find an au pair who likes to be outdoors and enjoys the same kind of sports you and your family does.

Edina: Thank you for those great tips! I do agree that choosing an au pair based on your family's style or personality is key in finding a great au pair. What is the hardest thing an au pair has to overcome in her attempt to adjust to a new culture? Any tips just for au pairs?

Deb: I think the biggest thing to overcome is the “But that’s not how we do it in our country!” Syndrome. I know this syndrome well - when I lived abroad, I fell into this state myself. I was miserable until I realized that every culture is different and unique – and that’s there no right or wrong way, and the best course is to embrace and enjoy the differences.

For example, child rearing is, without a doubt, different in the U.S. than in most other countries. I tell au pairs, “help – don’t judge."

Edina: This is a very common reaction to a different culture and something I write about here in an article titled, Culture Shock. Knowing the signs of culture shock can help avoid these misunderstandings and falling into despair, or worse, a depression.

Deb, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule as an LCC for Cultural Care! Our readers will surely reap the benefits of reading your expert advice here on au pairs and your matching tips.

Deb: You are very welcome. Thank you for having me!

What People Are Saying About Us

AuPairClearinghouse Testimonials


"Edina, I want to thank you for offering an objective source of information for potential host families in the U.S. When my husband and I were looking into hiring our first au pair, it was so difficult to find good information comparing the different agencies. Each sales person from the various placement agencies could easily tell us why they were the superior au pair organization, but no one could really help us choose which agency would best meet our needs. As parents of a disabled child, we had very specific requirements and easily became frustrated and a little hopeless that we would not find the right au pair and agency for our family. What a great help your website would have been to us back then! Thank you for putting together such a fantastic resource for new families!"

Host Mom & Therapist, Kate B.


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"The Au Pair Clearinghouse site was critical in my choice of au pair agencies. When you go online and look at all the different agencies out there - they all look alike, they all say the same thing and all their websites look the same. I was able to find the right agency with the information provided by this consumer website - it is an invaluable resource and nothing else is around like this!" They should write a book for new families because there is consumer information you should have that the au pair agencies will not tell you - for obvious reasons!"

Stella from Augusta, Georgia


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"I told my LCC about this site and she told me that she told a few other LCCs as well. I have found great info on this site and I want others to benefit as well"

PA Host Mom


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"Whenever a friend or relative ask me about au pairs, since I have had them for a few years now, I give them my little speech, about what to do, and what NOT to do, and refer them to my agency. Now, I always include this website, and tell them to read as much as they can. It is very helpful, thank you!"

Arlene, VA


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"We love your website! All the information we needed as “newbie” host parents was at our fingertips. We especially like your customer reviews and testimonials. Hearing what other parents had to say about their experiences with different au pair agencies was very helpful. Thank you!"
Kelly Family, VA


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"The Au Pair Clearinghouse site was critical in my choice of au pair agencies. When you go online and look at all the different agencies out there - they all look alike, they all say the same thing and all their websites pretty much look the same. I was able to find the right agency with the information provided by this consumer website - it is an invaluable resource and nothing else is around like this!" They should write a book for new families because there is consumer information you should have that the au pair agencies will not tell you - for obvious reasons!"

Stella, host mom from Georgia


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AuPairClearinghouse Endorsements


"Your website is wonderful! There is so much useful information and it's very helpful for parents looking for an au pair. You will find well-written and well-researched articles on different cultures and countries, including Western Europe, South America and Asia. You should know about the cultural backgrounds of your au pair before you host one!"

Tamaki Bowman, Owner of AuPair International Japan


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"The au pair agency websites have great information on them, but you must realize that they are selling a product at the same time they are sharing information with you. Aupairclearinghouse.com is a great resource for impartial, unbiased advice and I would send prospective host families there first."

Nancy Felix, Author, Oh My, Au Pair, A Complete Guide to Hiring and Hosting an Au Pair

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"AuPairClearinghouse.com is a great place to find out which agencies are considered the best in the au pair industry. It gives up-to-date information concerning United States government policies on hosting an au pair, useful tips, professional advice and much more! This consumer resource also offers all the latest news on and about au pairs. I highly recommend this website!"

Tayla Shoup, Author, The Girl's Guide to Being an Au Pair, www.bestaupairguide.com


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"Au Pair Clearinghouse is a wonderful and informative resource on the au pair industry, featuring au pair reviews and ratings! We recommend this website to our host families on Euraupair's Family Resource Page."

EurAuPair Agency, www.EurAuPair.com


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“Aupairclearinghouse is an excellent source of information for parents, au pairs and anyone involved in the field of childcare in general. I find the information provided on the site extremely useful, and the level of involvement and feedback by other readers proves that it is valued by many.”

Yossi Pinkas, CEO, www.take-care.me